I have a bit of a furniture addiction. I think I shop for furniture the way other people shop for clothes (as in: too frequently, and sometimes a bit impulsively). I found some great deals while living in Philly, but since I didn’t have a car, things sometimes got a bit tricky (to the couple in South Philly who hoisted a campaign-esque shelf down two floors with a rope and then helped me place it in an Uber, thank you). But I rarely regret a purchase and generally have a vision for how I’d like to style it. And getting a good deal is always important. The situation I describe below was no different.
This past spring, I came across two adorable bamboo pieces (one nightstand, one dresser) on Craigslist for pretty affordable prices. I thought they would look great painted (of course that would have to wait until I was living somewhere other than in my tiny Philadelphia studio), but hey, I had a vision! I went ahead and purchased the nightstand as soon as I saw it listed, but I couldn’t rationalize buying the dresser as well at that time. Luckily, I ended up staying in touch with the seller over the next couple of months. But when I finally decided I was ready to purchase the dresser, she told me that actually, she wasn’t ready to sell! So I waited. Then one day she texted me and we negotiated the price down a bit more (even though she had received several full price offers, she could tell how much I loved the piece and wanted it to go to a good home–plus she figured that since I already had the nightstand, it may be beneficial for me down the road to have both items as a set). In this case (but definitely not normally, especially when it comes to Craigslist) patience was a virtue!
SO. Now that I’ve gotten the backstory out of the way….This weekend I’m embarking on a bit of a DIY project. Both of the bamboo pieces are sort of a yellow/light wood color that looks fine but isn’t exactly the look I’m going for. I had heard about Annie Sloan chalk paint after doing some googling, and even though I would love more of a lacquered look, it just seems too complicated. And sending the pieces out to get them painted would cost nearly three times as much as I paid for the dresser alone, yikes! So Annie Sloan chalk paint it is. I’m hoping to use a few coats of the Napoleonic Blue to get the look pictured below. Can’t wait to share the finished product!
Have any of you done a DIY with chalk paint? Would love to hear your tips!